Tuesday, June 24

Blackberry Oatmeal Cake + Latte + Drizzle = Vancouver

When Jeff and I planned our trip to Vancouver, BC Canada a few years ago, we scheduled it for July -- the month with the lowest probability of rain. We were assured of beautiful weather -- I didn't even pack an umbrella (not that I had one to pack).

When we landed in Vancouver, it was raining.

It continued to rain for three days straight. So we skipped a few attractions like Butchart Gardens and spent our time in beautiful museums, quaint book stores, and charming cafes instead.

One drizzly afternoon we enjoyed a memorably good fresh blackberry and oatmeal cake with a couple of cafe lattes. There is something about a cake with fresh berries, a hot latte, and a light rain that makes for a perfect lazy afternoon.

Vancouver, like Oregon and Washington State, boasts some of the continent's best berries. We savored fresh tart loganberries, a succulent boysenberry tart, and even gooseberry ice cream.

So when Jennifer of the Domestic Goddess (the founder of Sugar High Friday) announced that this month's SHF theme was Mmm ... Canada, I knew I had to make a blackberry-oatmeal cake. Since I didn't have time to fly to Vancouver for blackberries, I settled on these plump locally grown ones from the farmers' market. I wasn't disappointed.

Each bite is a sensory pleasure: the crunchy oatmeal-cashew topping gives way to a soft, moist cake punctuated with bursts of warm, juicy sweet-tart blackberries. As soon as I tasted it, I felt magically transported to Vancouver. The only thing missing was the rain.

In a separate large bowl, beat the sugars and egg whites at medium speed until light. Beat in the vanilla, buttermilk, and oil. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, including the oats. Beat until just incorporated and the flour is dissolved. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blackberries and cashews until well blended.

Pour the batter into the pan and gently shake it to even it out. Sprinkle the chopped cashews and oats evenly over the top of the cake and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool at room temperature.

Unmold the cake, and place on a rack. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

59 comments:

This cake looks wonderful, in fact I'm printing the recipe! We lived in Oregon for 2 yrs. years ago, but I still remember all the berries there. Blackberries grew wild all over the place. We use to pick them and make cobblers all the time. Another popular berry there was, Marionberries, have you ever had a chance to try those?

I've never been to Canada, but even with the rain, your description of Vancouver is really quite romantic :) I love berries, and that love triples in cake! Your low-fat version looks just as good as any full-fat cake I've seen.P.S. You don't have an umbrella?! Haha :)

Wow, great cake! Yes, the PNW has great berries. If you find yourself in the Victoria area again and it's raining, try the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. It's close to Butchart Gardens. Tropical paradise setting indoors.

Your pictures make me salivate!!! It's not the time for blackberries here yet and I'm not a baking woman but I liked the story and the pastelitos!!! Wouldn't mind to have one even if there's no rain ;-)

yeah we do get more than our share of rain here in the pacific northwest! but when i moved here and saw all the blackberry bushes (they grow EVERYWHERE...even where you don't want them!) i was very excited. i just love blackberries! saving this recipe for when they get ripe! it looks scrumptious!

Susan, this cake looks lovely! Berries is my weakness, I just love them:) And blackberries? Yum! In Azerbaijan they only grow organically and people buy them in big buckets, very inexpensive. I am going to send this recipe to my family there too since they have the luxury to enjoy the berries in buckets:) In the meantime, I am printing the recipe for myself too. It is a keeper! Thank you!

This looks so good. I'm totally into berries and other crumbly-topped goodies right now. And this recipe can be made GF very easily! Yippee! Nice "other fruit-filled baked goodies" to link to as well. Wonderful photos, too!

Oooh! This is the perfect dessert for Canada. We lived in Vancouver for about 10 mos (relocated there & then relocated again). There was a real sense of celebration when the berries were in season. Too bad there was so much rain when you went - good excuse to go back. ;)

That looks wonderfully tasty! That's one of the things I miss most about my old homestate of Washington, the fruit! Berries are by far my favorite, especially huckleberries. I might try this out with some of my mulberries though ;)

I shared this recipe with my husband and he decided that it would make a wonderful weekend breakfast meal. So off he went, with recipe in hand and purchased all the requisite ingredients. He will put them together and we will make this in the morning tomorrow when it is cooler. It is a scorching 82 here in Portland and it isn't even 11 a.m. yet! Did you know that Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat flour is ever so much cheaper than any other flour in our local market! It has been awhile since we have purchased any and sticker shock! Thank goodness Bob's Red Mill is in our neck of the woods, we might have to pay him a visit! Have you ever checked him out? http://www.bobsredmill.com/

Glad to have made your acquaintance susan, Iam from Indonesia and liked to gather the food recipe and than try something on.your blog were very good complete with various food recipes...may you be successful(www.raragirlblog.blogspot.com)

Ooo this cake looks good. I love crisp toppings. And yes it sure does rain a lot in Vancouver, but recently we've had some disgustingly hot days where it feels like hot air is blowing at you! Glad you had a good time here anyway though. :)

Wow Susan, this cake was delicious! I made it with raspberries and blueberries and it turned out great, except for one thing : I could never unmold it, even if it was baked in a anti-adhesive pan liberally coated with butter. Part of the reason why it happened is that the berries sink to the bottom and form a layer were there is less cake mix, thus leading to structural defects that greatly impair the unmoldability of the cake without breaking it. (raspberries are mushier than blackberries when cooked I suppose) So I would suggest your numerous readers to line the bottom of their baking pan with parchment paper to avoid that problem. That being said, everybody loved the cake; it's a great summer dessert!

Your photos make me wish I were in my kitchen right now! I want to make this soon but only have frozen blueberries on hand. I know those are pretty different. Do you think I could substitute with those or do you have any other suggestions if I can't find blackberries? Thanks!

xiaolu-You could use frozen berries. Just don't defrost them first as they'll be too watery. Blackberries are definitely more tart than blueberries, but would still be delicious. Raspberries are more tart if you'd like to try those. Thanks for your kind words, and good luck!